Tank canyon thinning and piling

TANK CANYON THINNING PROJECT, BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, CATRON COUNTY, NEW MEXICO

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement and attachments constitute the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Consider this solicitation (140L3723Q0125) as a Request for Quotes (RFQ). This solicitation documents incorporate provisions and clauses in effect through Federal acquisition Circular 2019-03. This solicitation is set-aside for small business. NAICS 115310 - Support Activities for Forestry - Fuels Management Services. The small business size standard is $34.0 million. Product Service Code F014 - Natural Resources / Conservation - Tree Thinning. The resulting purchase order will be a firm fixed price type contract.
(SEE ATTACHMENTS FOR COMPLETE STATEMENT OF WORK, MAPS, WAGE DETERMINATIONS, AND CLAUSES / PROVISIONS.)

347 acres x $______________ = $___________________

In accordance with the procedures in FAR Part 12 and 13, RFQ 140L3723Q0125 is available for viewing through electronic commerce via Land Management's website at https://sam.gov.

The Government will award a purchase order resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer is conforming to the solicitation and is the lowest price technically acceptable.

Quotes are due Thursday, August 17, 2023, by 4:00 pm Mountain Time. Contractors submit quotes by email to awhetham@blm.gov.

Note: Any contractor to submit an acceptable quote or be awarded a government contract must be registered and active in the System for Award Management (SAM). Contractors must register at www.sam.gov.
Contractor's must submit their Unique Entity ID (UEI) and CAGE code with their quote.

UEI ______________________

CAGE ____________________

For further information about this requirement, offerors should contact Audrey Whetham at awhetham@blm.gov.

The provisions and clauses attached apply to this solicitation.

Description
The purpose of this project is to reduce the density of piñon and juniper trees within the project area. Based on fire behavior prediction and surveys of forest vegetation in the project area, the density of Pinon-Juniper vegetation that currently exists provides a very receptive fuel bed for stand replacement fire. Under current conditions, fire can spread easily both horizontally and vertically. The stands of high density have resulted in increased soil erosion, reduced natural vegetative production, and an altered community structure that has departed from the normal range of variability.
Treatments consist of hand thinning with chainsaws and hand piling of slash and debris created from the thinning.

Location of Project
The Wild Horse project area on BLM administered public land is located approximately 30 miles northeast of Pie Town, N.M. Travel time from Socorro, NM on US Highway 60, County Roads, and unnamed 2-track roads is approximately 2.5-3 hours. The area proposed for vegetation treatment consists of ponderosa pine, piñon pine, and juniper trees. An estimated 347 acres will be thinned, and hand piled in the Tank Canyon Project Area (see attached map).

Legal Description
The Wild Horse project area is located in Cibola County on BLM lands adjacent to Wild Horse Ranch, New Mexico on the Wild Horse Canyon, Bonnie Canyon, and York Ranch SE Quadrangles. T4N R10W S 13 and 24.

Boundaries of Project Areas
The project perimeter is an irregular shape and is bounded by a combination of roads, fence lines and natural features such as drainage bottoms, and ridge tops. The project boundaries are identified by florescent pink or orange flagging and, or orange paint. The project is approximately 347 acres in size.

Schedule of Implementation
Estimated start date: 08/28/2023 Report completion date: 02/29/2024.

Access
The area is assessable by 2-wheel drive vehicle with sufficient ground clearance. Access is facilitated by State Highway 117, County Rd 41, Wild Horse Rd, and other two track roads. Wild Horse Rd and other two track roads are un-surfaced. Therefore, wet weather could make travel somewhat difficult and may delay entrance into the project area until drier conditions allow entry. This will reduce damage to unimproved roads and other natural resources. No vehicle use shall occur off established graded roads or two-tracks. Access will be by foot only. If vehicle is leaving ruts in excess of 2 inches deep, then that road shall not be driven until it has dried sufficiently to avoid creating deep ruts.

Closures due to High Fire Danger may also limit entry into the project area, initial start dates may need to be adjusted accordingly.

Prescription
No Girdling or Pruning.
No cutting of any shrubs or oak trees.
Desired spacing would be a mix of the following three prescriptions:
Average tree spacing will be 30 feet.
Retention of 1 small group of healthy trees every 2 acres (approximately 6-10 trees per group) is acceptable, with an average spacing around groups of 50 feet.
The open swales and canyon bottoms with mostly smaller trees will have all trees less than 8 feet tall removed with up to 5 larger (i.e. mature) healthy trees per acre left uncut.
Treatment will be done by hand-cutting (chainsaws and other hand equipment).
Target species are One-seed Juniper (Juniperus monosperma), Alligator Juniper, (Juniperus deppeana), and Piñon (Pinus edulis).
When cutting, all unhealthy trees (regardless of size) should be cut first before looking at spacing and leave tree requirements.
Leave tree preference - 1st Healthy tree, 2nd Larger tree, 3rd Alligator Juniper (Juniperus deppeana), 4th Piñon Pine (Pinus edulis).
Due to stem characteristics of Juniper and Piñon, stem diameter will be measured 6 inches above ground surface on the high side for cutting (DSH-diameter at stump height), not DBH.
Retain all ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa).
Leave any healthy (free of mistletoe, etc.) live Juniper 24 inch diameter or greater DSH.
Leave any healthy (free of mistletoe, etc.) live piñon 16 inch diameter or greater DSH.
Cut any live Piñon and Juniper tree 1 foot tall or above that do not meet the above criteria for leave trees.
Cut smaller seedlings and saplings growing under larger leave trees.
Cut all piñon and juniper trees within 30 feet of power lines and ponderosa pine trees.
Sever all live limbs and green needles from cut stumps.
Ponderosa pine will be included when determining average tree spacing in the woodland stand.
Cut stumps should be 6 inches or less in height.
Cut and felled material shall be bucked into lengths of 4-5 feet to speed drying.
Piling will be done by hand.
Slash piles shall be constructed in a manner that will allow piles to burn down with minimal "chunking" (i.e. raking the edges in to maximize consumption).
All cut material 3 inches and larger in diameter will be left out of slash piles to allow for later fuelwood gathering. All limbs < 3 inches in diameter shall be removed from larger cut material.
All piles will be at least 10 feet from leave trees to minimize crown scorch when slash piles are burned later.
Remove cut material 30 feet from structures (example: fences, waters, powerlines), fiber optic ROW, and ponderosa pine trees.
Cut material that is less than 3 inches in diameter will be placed in arroyos and erosion ¿cuts¿ located within 1 chain (66 feet) of cut trees to help slow head cutting and soil erosion.
No travel on two track roads when soils are saturated by rain or snow; stay on gravel or pavement.
No cutting in designated areas to protect cultural sites and/or improvements.